TNAG-1941-FCO40-2767-Future-of-Hong-Kong-defence-and-public-order-1989 — Page 212

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WHICH WERE COVERED BY THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH AND THEY HAVE BEEN INFORMED ABOUT THAT. BUT IN ADDITION, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REGULAR CONTACTS CROSS-BORDER AND I MIGHT ASK MR BARNES AND ANSON CHAN TO SAY A WORD ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH WE CONTINUOUSLY KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE CHINESE SIDE ON PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENTS. MR BARNES.

SECY FOR PLANNING, ENVIRONMENT AND LANDS:

WELL IT IS SIMPLY BY EXCHANGE OF DELEGATIONS AT PRESENT, THERE ISN'T ANY FORM. WE HAVEN'T IN FACT ANY ABSOLUTELY REGULAR ARRANGEMENTS BUT AT THE BEGINNING OF PADS, WHEN WE STARTED OFF, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES WHO WAS OUR THEN SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE GOVERNOR, HE LED A DELEGATION UP TO CANTON IN WHICH WE ACTUALLY TOLD THE CHINESE AT THAT STAGE WHAT WE WERE THINKING OF, AND MADE A LOT OF CONTACTS WITH THEIR PLANNING COMMISSION, THEIR ECONOMIC COMMISSION, AND THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT. AND SINCE THEN THERE HAS BEEN A PATTERN OF EXCHANGES BETWEEN THEM. THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY CONTINUE TO HAVE TO BE SUCH EXCHANGES IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE PARTS OF THIS AND RELATED DEVELOPMENTS WILL HAVE AN EFFECT ON CHINA. PARTICULARLY, PERHAPS, WE MAY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH DISPOSING OF ADDITIONAL SOFT-MUD WHICH MAY HAVE TO GO INTO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

ANOTHER PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT ENTIRELY RELATED TO THIS - IS THAT WE ARE NOW CONSIDERING A SEWAGE STRATEGY, AND THIS SEWAGE STRATEGY IS MADE DOUBLY IMPORTANT BY THE CHANGES IN LAND-FORMATION IN THE HARBOUR AND BECOMES ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. NOW, ALTHOUGH THE EARLY STAGES OF THE SEWAGE STRATEGY DON'T INVOLVE GOING OUT INTO INTERNATIONAL WATERS, THE SECOND STAGE WHICH MUST FOLLOW IF THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG CARRIES ON IN THE SAME WAY AS IT HAS DONE BEFORE, WILL INVOLVE TAKING TREATED, OR AT LEAST SEMI-TREATED SEWAGE INTO AN OUTFALL IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS. SO WE HAVEN'T GOT A FORMAL THING ABOUT THE AIRPORT, AT PRESENT, WE MIGHT HAVE LATER, I DON'T KNOW. WE MAY DECIDE ON TRYING TO ESTABLISH NEGOTIATIONS, BUT WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF LINKS.

CHIEF SECRETARY:

AND I THINK I SHOULD SAY THAT AT EVERY CONTACT WE HAVE HAD WITH THE CHINESE SIDE ON THE AIRPORT, AT EVERY LEVEL, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTIVE OF THE PROJECT IN GENERAL. I REMEMBER WHEN I BRIEFED MR ZHOU NAN WHEN HE VISITED HERE, ABOUT THESE PROJECTS, AND DESCRIBED THESE SCENARIOS TO HIM, HE WAS INTENSELY INTERESTED AND WAS VERY ENCOURAGING ABOUT THE NEED FOR HONG KONG TO

GO AHEAD.

JOHN ELLIOT, FINANCIAL TIMES:

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